Soul Room
by SpiritualPuzzleshipper
Summary: ONE-SHOT Yugi finds himself in his soul room, years after Atemu and the Puzzle have left. It brings back both good and bad memories. Also what lies beyond the door now that the Pharaoh is gone?


I opened my eyes and gasped. I glanced around the room I was in. "No." Surprise filled my voice. Complete and utter shock. "This is," I swallowed the lump in my throat. "My soul room." There I was right in the middle of my soul room, the name I gave it when I once shared a body with another. Last thing I remember I was in my room, I was doing homework, but I felt so tired. I had just worked a twelve hour shift at the shop. Ever since grandpa died, I had to keep my promise to him and keep the shop going. That meant juggling school and the shop, it really wore me out. No one was able to help me, most of my friends had moved away after High School, so I was on my own to keep it running. I wanted my friends to follow dreams, but I didn't realize how lonely it would be.

I felt tears form in my eyes, I hadn't been here since that night. "Atemu." I mumbled. I struggle to say that word sometimes. It's like a knife through my heart. I swallow again and look at the room once more. I notice the bed was still there, sheets white and blanket was baby blue, the bed was made. Neither he, nor I, sleep in it anymore. The toys are nearly gone, but there was still some stuffed animals, a random red fire truck was also close to my bed. The floor was a mess, I never kept my room clean. I chuckle, "He would get so mad at me." To my left was a small bookcase, on it was a couple cars, the ones dad gave me, before he left me too. Lots of books filled it, some from my childhood, others from just last week. They must be fresh enough in my mind to not disappear. Hopefully they will go away, I really don't think I need to remember algebra forever.

Smiling, I look to my right, noticing the big teddy bear. Mama gave that to me when I was five, it was my last present before she passed. Right after her passing dad left, said he couldn't handle the pain of looking at me. I guess I reminded him of mama too much. Looking down, tears falling onto the floor, I noticed carpet. The floors was solid stone last time. "Odd." I raise an eyebrow, wiping the tears from my face, I glance back up. When I do I notice it, the door. The door to the hallway, or what was a hallway. " _What lies behind it? Darkness? An abyss? Or maybe the hallway is still there?_ " I wonder. Swallowing again, yeah, again. I make my way towards it, reaching out as I get closer. I avoid stepping on the toys and books that lay on the floor.

I also notice some duel monster cards, most are ripped. I turn my head away from them, I can't bare to see them like that. I squeeze my eyes shut, one of them was the Dark Magician, my most precious card and companion. He was there for me and Atemu when we needed him most and I turned my back on him. It's not that I didn't care, it's that I just had to give up dueling. I had no time for it nor did I have anyone to duel with, once Joey left, that hurt a lot. I could handle Tea leaving for New York, Tristan enlisting, but Joey, he was suppose to be here for me. But he wasn't, he left just like every one else did. I know he wanted to be the best duelist in the world, but what about being my best friend? He didn't even come back for grandpa's funeral, none of them did.

I shake my head and look back up at the door. It looked the same as it did last time I saw it, big and black. I smirk slightly, it isn't that big anymore. I've grown a couple inches since last here, still short though. I place my hand on the knob, it's cold and I can't help but think if it's a reflection of my soul. I feel cold most of the time, I don't want anything in life since my friends and grandpa left. I just want to get through school and hopefully get a better job, I barely make it as it is. How did grandpa keep the store a float? I barely can keep the electric on and he was able to have that store since I was a kid. I don't tell anyone though, when Tea calls me I just smile and say it's fine. I am fine. I have to be! It was time for Atemu to leave me and allow me to stand on my own feet. That including struggling through the hardships that get thrown at me.

"What am I doing?" I let go of the door knob. "Do I expect to open it and he be there?" I groan and rub scratch my head with both hands. "He's gone, Yugi. He left, they all left you!" Anger boils inside of me. I am tired of being so selfless! I am tired of everyone getting what **they** want! I never get what I want! "They didn't care for me! No one did! Not even Atemu." I fell to my knees and the tears fell from my eyes. I pull my hair slightly and the pain feels good, I need it to distract me from the pain in my heart. "You never cared." I whisper.

The door shakes, I gasp and look up at it. "Who's there?" I call out. I am afraid, I won't lie. There should be no reason for it to shake like that. I am alone right? No one is in my mind or body anymore, so why is the door shaking? I stand up, letting go of my head, I allow my arms to fall to my side. I clench my jaw and my hands into a fist. "I'm not afraid!" I scream. "I don't need you or anybody! I can do this on my own." The door shakes again. Did it reply? I look at it, debating if I should open it or not. I step towards the door again and put my hand on the knob but this time, it's not cold. It's warm and when quickly my mind fills with memories, the best ones I ever made. The ones with Atemu, with Joey, Tristan, Tea, and grandpa. Even Kaiba. I see them smiling, laughing, enjoying our times together. The duels we fought, the fun we had, it all comes flooding back to me. The last memory was of Atemu it was the clearest memory of all.

 _"Why are we here?" I ask him, I am in spirit form, and he is in my body. We are on the boat, heading to his tomb, for our final battle. "Did you finish your deck?" I put my hand on his shoulder._

 _He jumps by my touch. "Oh! You startled me."_

 _I blink. "Startled?" He didn't know I was there._

 _"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention. Sorry." He turns around and smiles when our eyes meet._

 _"Why are you here?" I ask again._

 _"I needed some air." He looked up at the moon. "I did finish."_

 _"I wasn't trying to pry, I will let you be." I begin to retreat back into my soul room._

 _He grabs my wrist. "Wait!" He says quickly. I look at him confused and sadness in my eyes. "I want to talk to you, alone."_

 _I smile sadly. "That's not hard." I chuckle, hoping he got the joke._

 _He smirked and crossed his arms. "I know that." He got it! "I just wanted to be out of that room. Out here, it's quiet, peaceful. I can think better."_

 _I tilt my head and smile. "Memories?"_

 _He nodded. "Yeah."_

 _"It's nice to have those huh?"_

 _He turned back to the river and sighed. "I've always had memories, aibou." Oh that nickname. Why did he have to use it? It made me shudder, but I hid it from him._

 _"What do you mean?" I ask, slightly confused._

 _He turned around and looked at me, sighing he replied. "Since the moment you solved the puzzle, I have had memories. Memories of me punishing people. Memories through your eyes of school and of your walks." He leaned against the rail, I was nervous he would fall over, I worry about him. "I have memories of duelist kingdom, of our battles, of our first meeting. Duels against every person we faced. Battle City, my 'date' with Tea." He did that thing with his fingers and smirked. "Even our time in America." He closed his eyes and looked down. "I have memories of pain and fear of never seeing you again. Worst couple days I ever had. That's including my past." He looked back at me._

 _"What does that have to do with anything?" I cross my arms and look at him, cocking an eye brow._

 _"It means that it's not nice to have memories. Because I am used to it." He smirked. "Yes there are some memories of me at the nile thinking, at night. But that's not why I wanted to be out here."_

 _I walked closer to him, arms still crossed. "Than why do you want to talk to me out here?" I look up at him, his eyes and mine met. We were so close yet I felt like we were the furthest we ever have been._

 _"Because everyone is sleeping and I know they won't hear us out here." He stepped closer. I blush, our chests are almost touching. "Yugi." He looked down at me and I looked up at him. "I don't want to do this."_

 _I gasped. I look at him closer and notice tears in his eyes. "You don't want to do what?" I ask, making sure I heard him right._

 _"I don't want to duel you."_

 _Our eyes stay connected, not one of us are blinking. "You don't?" I swallow. "Why?"_

 _"Because I just don't feel like it's fair. That we, the two people who are the closest, duel against one another. To find out if I die or not." He sighed._

 _"But I want to. If this is possibly your last duel than I want it to be with me. We always talked about what we would do if we ever dueled. Well here is our chance!"_

 _"I remember those late nights, I do. But the idea that you will be the cause of my death," He bite his lip. "It doesn't set right with me."_

 _I smile. "But I didn't kill you, you killed yourself."_

 _He smiled. "You got a point there." He lifted his hands and cupped my face. "But I don't want you to be the reason I cross over. I don't want to leave this way."_

 _I hold his wrists, though I am a spirit, we can touch each other. It's weird, but I don't complain, it's the closest we will ever be. "I don't want you to leave either, but I am ready. I know I am." I smile looking at him. We are so close, I think if I was solid our body heats would intertwine with each other. But as of now, his chest is almost through me._

 _"Aibou." He sighed and leaned down, brushing his lips against mine. My eyes go wide, gasping out of surprise, but I don't stop him. I just squeeze his wrists a little tighter. He never kissed me, just allows his lips to touch mine slightly._

I shake my head and come out of it. "What was that?" I totally forgot about that night. My hand is still on the door knob and I can't believe how warm it is. Like that last memory was in the door knob. "That's it!" I growled and pulled open the door, closing my eyes. I refuse to open them, I don't want to know what's out there, but at the same time I want to know why I am here. Why am I in my soul room? What brought me here? What is with all the memories? Lastly, why was that the one that came to me so quickly? It brought back so much pain, warmth, but pain at the same time. I pick my foot up, not opening my eyes, feeling for ground. I gasp and open my eyes, looking down. I see floor, stone floor! The hallway is there. Do I dare look up? I don't want to know what's across from me, it's most likely a wall, the door should be gone. No one else is there, I am just going crazy. A small chuckle leaves my lips. Don't see a reason to laugh but I did. I look up. "What?" In front of me, there it was. A door. It wasn't the door that used to be there, that one had an eye on it. The eye of Wdjat. But this was just another solid black door, the door knob was different, it was more like a handle than a knob. What was I seeing? "I'm dreaming. I gotta wake now." I pinch myself. "Ow!" I look around. "Nope still awake." I guess this is real. "But how?" I keep talking to myself out loud. I guess I am expecting someone to answer, or maybe for him to answer. Who knows.

I sigh. I have to do it, I have to open it! I need to know what's beyond that door. I take those small steps and place my hand on tthe door handle. It's warm, just like mine. I close my eyes and begin to open it. "Please, stop playing tricks with me." When I open my eyes, I see something I never thought I would see. I smile, tears filling my eyes. "It's you."

"Yes, the one and only."


End file.
